In this study, Emma Heywood (Lecturer at Sheffield University), Beatrice Ivey (Lecturer at French Studies) and Sacha Meuter (Head of Research and Policy and Legal Advisor at the Fondation Hirondelle) offer a critical reflection on the advantages and disadvantages of the use of WhatsApp, in relation to the conduct of social research in general. This approach is based on the substantial results of a study conducted in the Sahel in 2019-2020.